Car-loading means



f5 Sheets-Sheet l A GERMEK CAR LOADING MEANS Filed June 5 1924 April 21, 1925.

April 21, 1925.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A GERMEK cm LOADING MEANS iled June 1924 If q// 1 m Hm April 21', 1925.

A. GERMEK CAR LOADING MEANS Filed June 5. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED sra'rss PATENT FFifiE.

ANDREW GERMEK, 0F EDWABDSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAR-LOADING MEANS.

Application filed June 5, 1924. Serial No. 718,134.

scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In loading cars with coal from a plurality of elevated pockets along one or both sides of track, it is customary to have manually opened gates to controlthe discharge of coal from the pockets into the cars. Hence, a number of attendants are necessary for the numerous gates, but one object of my invention is toprovide novel means controlled by compressed air or other fluid under pressure for opening and closing the gates as required, the arrangement being such that one man, controlling the valves of the various pipe lines can open and close any gate or gates at will.

The coal as it is now discharged directly from the pockets into the cars, often overflows fromthe latter and is not evenly distributed along the length of the cars. It is a "further object of my invention to proide chutes into which the coal pockets discharge, said chutes being mounted for upward and downward swinging and having coal distributing scrapers at their discharge ends. These chutes direct the coal into the cars from the pockets, and whenany car is moved upon the track after maximum filling oi? a portion of said car, the scraper comes into play to remove surplus coal and scrape it into the empty portion of the car. Thus, all of the cars may be loaded to the same extent and the loads thereof uniformly crowned to the desiredwdegree.

A. still. tliurtller object of the invention is to connect the chutes and the gates with common operating means, so that when any gate is opened, its respective chute will be automatically lowered to. an operative position, return of the chute to a raised position being also effected by closing of the gate.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accom panying drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of a track, coal pockets above and at opposite sides of said track, andthe several features of my invention in operative relation with the pockets.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view as indicated by line 2-2 of. i

Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view partly broken away, indicated by. line 33 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4; is a vertical longitudinal sectionon line 4 4: of Fig.

Figure- 5 is a transverse sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 3. I

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a portion of the operating means for the gates and the chutes.

In the drawings above briefly described,

the numeral 1 designates a track for the cars 2, to beloaded, and at 3, a plurality of coal pockets have been shown, to which coal is fed through the chutes 41. In the arrangement shown, the inner walls 5 of the pockets 3 converge upwardly to a point above the track 1 and said walls 5 are provided with slidable' gates 6 controlling the discharge of coal, inclined chutes 7 being shown for guiding this coal toward the center of a car to be filled.

Disposed longitudinallyabove the track 1, are a plurality of chutes 8 into which the chutes 7 deliver, said chutes 8 being mounted for upward and downward swinging and having downturned discharge ends 9 provided with coal distributing scrapers 10 for disposition in close relation with the car being filled.

Eachscraper 10 preferably comprises a pair of substantially horizontal scraping members 11 which are widely spaced at one end to rest on the side walls of a car, while said scraping members converge to a point at their opposite ends. The downturned chute end 9, is received between the two scraping members and secured thereto in any des'iredmanner. I have shown a bolt 12 passing through the chute end 9 and the scraping members 11 and have shown a cross bar 13 whose ends are secured to said scraping members, the intermediate portion of said bar being secured to the downturned ends of the chutes bolts or the ill) upwardly or downwardly swinging the chute and the sc'aper.

The end of the chute 8 opposite the scraper 10, is pivotally mounted on a transverse axis. In the present showing, a shaft 17 supports said end of the chute :8 and the ends of this shaft are supported by vertical bars 18 which are slidably received in vertical guides 19 suitably supported on part of a fran'iework 20-beneath the pockets 3. I have shown vertically spaced openings 21 in the bars 18, and pins 22 are insertible through any of said openings to engage the upper ends of the guides 19, so as to hold the bars 18 in any positions to which they may be adjusted, according to the l'ieight of the cars to be loaded.

Normally, the chutes 8 are raised as shown at the left of Fig. 2. but when they are to receive coal and guide it into one of the cars, any suitable number of said chutes may be lowered as shown at the right hand end of Fig. 2. Thus, coal discharged by one or more of the chutes 7 into the lowered chute or chutes 8, will slide down the latter into the car. For purposes of illustration, we will assume that only one of the chutes 8 has been lowered as seen in Fig. 2. lVhen so lowered, the scraper 10 rests on one end of the car and when such end has been filled with coal, the car is moved longitudinally in the direct-ion of the arrow A. As the car moves in this manner, the scraping members 11 will scrape surplus coal oft the top of the pile in the car and will discharge it into an unfilled part of the car, at the same time ridging the coal to the desired extent. lVhen another portion of the car is filled, said car is further advanced, and so on until completely filled. It will thus be seen that surplus coal may be removed from any loaded car and that the loads of all of the cars are uniformly ridged.

Novel provision is made for operating the gates 6 and for controlling the upward and downward movements of the chutes 8. In the construction shown, the gates '6 are connected by links 23 with wheels '24 carried by longitudinal shafts 25 which may well be supported by bearings 26 secured to the walls 5 of the coal pockets 3. Other links 27 have been shown. connected to and extending upwardly from the wheels 24: to cross arms 28 on vertical piston rods 29, the pistons of these rods being confined in pressure cylinders 30 which are stationarily mounted in any desired manner. I have shown the upper ends of the rods 16 suitably connected with the cross arms 28 and the arrangement is such that when any cross arm is forced downwardly by the admission of compressed air or steam into the upper end of the cylinder 30, the rod 16 lowers the subjacent chute S and at the same time, the links 27 turn the wheels 21-, thus'pulling upon the links 23 and opening the gates 6. By the time the gates open sufiiciently to permit any appreciable discharge of coal, the chute 8 has lowered to operative position and guides such coal into the car to be loaded. Vhenever the cross head 28 is raised by admission of pressure into the lower end of the cylinder 30, the gates 6 are automatically closed and at the same time, the rod 16 restores the chute 8 to its Original raised position.

l ieadingto the upper end of each cylinder 30, is a pipe 31 while another pipe 32 leads from the lower end of said cylinder. These two pipes connect with what is commonly known as an engineers valve 33. T he valves 33 for the several cylinders 30 may well receive air pressure from a main air line 3% which communicates with a pressure tank 35. a suitable cuto'li valve '36 being preferably provided in the piping 34. It will be seen that by turning the proper valve 33, any desired gates may be opened and the associated chute or chutes 8 simul taneously lowered to operative position.

I have shown pockets 3 at opposite sides of a track, but my invention may be used to equal advantage when the pockets are used at one side only of the track, in which instances, the links 27 at one end of the cross arms 28, the wheels 24 associated with said links, and adjacent gate-operating parts, may well be omitted. Two slotted guides 28 are preferably employed for each cross arm 28, whether the latter operates gates at opposite sides of the track, or a gate only at one side thereof, the cross arm having pins 28 movable in certain slots of said guides.

It may be further explained that while only one pocket 3 at each. side of the track has been shown discharging into the adja cent chute 8, it will be understood that any desired number of pockets might well discharge into one of said chutes. Furthermore, it may be explained that while I have described the invention for use in loading coal into cars upon an actual railway track. such im'ention is usable also for loading rock or other materials either into cars, or into wagons or motor trucks, and in the latter instance, the roadway on which the trucks or wagons HIOVO, will of course take the place of the track 1.

Excellent results may be obtained by the use of the invention in any of its forms and I wish it iiinderstood that the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous modifications may be made. Also, it may be stated that any desired means may be provided for washing the coal as it is discharged from the pockets 3. For this purpose, piping 40 is shown, to

contain water under pressure, said piping being provided with valved branches 41 which discharge into coal spraying pipes 42 extending acrossthe chutes. The valves of the branches 4.1 maybe connected with the disks24l, by links 41:3, so that said valves will be opened when the gates 6 are opened and will be closed upon closing of said gates. It may here be also stated that each of the disks 24 is preferably provided with a plurality oi openings which permit connection of any of the links therewith at the most advantageous point. 7 r

I claim: 1

1.. In a coal car loading means, a coal pocket at one side of a car track havinga gate for controlling discharge of coal, a Vertically swingablc chute into which said pocketdischarges when the gate is opened, said chute being adapted to direct the coal into a car to be loaded, a stationary pressure cylinder having a piston provided with a projecting pis-toirrod, a cross arm to which said piston rod is secured, connecting means between said cross arm and said gate for opening and closing the latter, connecting means between said cross arm and said chute for lowering the latter whenthe gate is opened and again raising said chute when the gate is closed, and means for supplying iluid under pressure to either end of sand cylinder.

2.111 a coal car loading means, coal pockets at opposite sides of and above a "car track, the inner walls of said pockets having slidable gates for controlling the discharge of coal, a vertically swingable chute between said pockets intoiwhich they discharge when the gates are opened, said chute extending longitudinally over the track and being adapted when lowered to guide the coal into a car to be loaded, a stationary cylinder mounted between said inner pocket walls and having a piston providcd with a vertically projecting piston rod, a transverse cross arm secured on the end o'l said rod, stationary vertical guides for said cross arm, links depending from the ends of said cross arm, wheels to which said links are eccentrically pivoted and means for supporting said wheels adjacent said gates, other links connecting said wheels with said gates for controlling the latter, a suspending device tlQITMDCllDg from said cross arm to said chute for vertically niovii'ig the latter, and means for supplying iuid under pressure to either end of said cylinder.

3. in a coal car loading means, a coal pocket at one side of a car track having agate for controlling discharge of coal, a vertically swingable chute into which said pocket discharges when the gate is opened, said chute being adapted to direct the coal into a car to be loaded, a coaldistributing scraper carried bodily by the discharge end of said chute and adapted in loweredposition to scrape oi? surplus coal when a car being filled is moved along the track after filling one portion of said car, and operating means for said gate chute and scraper, in: cluding means for automatically lowering the chute and scraper when the gate is opened and for again raising said chute and scraper when the gate is closed.

4. Ina coal car loading means, a coal pocket at one side of a car track, said pocket having a slidable gate controlling discharge of coal, a wheel mounted adjacent the gate and a link connecting it to said gate, a horizontal cross arm to which said link is pivoted, stationary vertical guiding means for said cross arm, a stationary vertical cylin der having a piston provided with a projecting piston rod secured to said cross arm, and means for supplying iiuid under pressure to either end of said cylinder.

In a coal car loading means, coal pockets at opposite sides of and above a car track, the inner walls of said pockets having slidable gates for controlling the discharge of coal, a stationary cylinder mounted be- I tween said inner pocket walls and having a plston provlded with a vertically proyectmg piston rod, a transverse'cross arm secured on the end of said rod, stationary ver' tical guides for said cross arm, linksdepending from the cues of said cross arm, wheels to which said links are eccentrically pivoted and means for supporting said wheels adjacent said gates, other links connecting said wheels with said gates for controlling the latter, and means for supply-- ing fluid under pressure to either end of said cylinder.

6. In a coal car loading means, a coal pocket at one side of a our track having a gate for controlling discharge of coal, and a chute into which said pocket discharges when said gate is opened, said chute having a coal distributing scraper at its lower end adapted to be lowered into close relation with a car being loaded and operative to scrape off surplus coal when the car is moved along the track after filling one portion of said car,

7. A. structure as specifiei'jl in claim 6; said scraper comprising a pair of scraping members widely spaced at one end for dis-- position over the sides ofthe car, and con verging substantially to a point at their other ends, said other ends of said scraping members being disposed at a higher point than the first named ends thereof when the scraper is lowered for us.

8. In a coal car leading means, a coal pocket at one side of a car track having a gate for controlling discharge of coal, a chute into which said pocket disohar;. ;es when the gate is opened, said chute being disposed longitudinally over the track i'iiieans pivotally supporting said chute to permit the discharge end thereof to be lowcred into close relation with. a car to be filled. and a coal distributing scraper car ried bodily by said discharge end of said chute and adapted in lowered position to scrape oil surplus coal when a car being filled is moved along the track after filling one portion of said car.

:9. A structure specified in claim 8; said so :a'per comprising a pair of scraping members widel spaced atone end for dis position over the sides of the car, and converging substantially to a point at their other ends. said other ends of said scraping members being disposed at a higher point than the first named ends thereof when the scraper is lowered for use.

10. In a coal car loading means a coal pocket at one side of a car track having a gate for controlling the discharge of coal, a chute over said track into which the pocket may discharge. said ch'ute being dis posed longitudinally over the track and, having a coal distributing scraper at its dir charge end, a pair of vertical bars between which the other end of said chute is pivot ed on a horizontal axis. a pair of stationary ventical guides in which said bars are slida-bly received, and means for holding said bars indifferent adjusted positions in said guides.

11. In a coal car loading means. a pocket having a discharge gate, a rotatably mounted wheel adjacent said gate and connected with the latter for opening and closing the same, :a coal Washer disposed adjacent said gate and having a control valve, means connecting said control valve With said Wheel tor opening the same when the gate is opened, and means for turning said wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto my signature.

ANDREYV GEHMEK 

